Dow Unveils Bio-based NORDEL™ REN EPDM at DKT 2024

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is pleased to unveil at the German Rubber Conference (DKT) 2024 the introduction of NORDEL™ REN Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymers (EPDM), a bio-derived variant of Dow’s EPDM rubber used in automotive, infrastructure, and consumer applications.

Dow aims to assist the automotive industry in meeting sustainability objectives with the introduction of NORDEL™ REN EPDM, essential for automotive weatherseals and hoses. Beyond automotive applications, NORDEL™ REN EPDM is utilized in building profiles, roofing membranes, wire, cable, and other sectors, contributing to the decarbonization efforts in construction and beyond.

Zshelyz Lee, Global Automotive Plastics Circularity Team Leader at Dow, emphasized the company's dedication to aiding customers in their decarbonization efforts while advancing Dow's own path towards carbon neutrality. Lee highlighted Dow's ambitious goal to provide 3 million metric tons per year of circular and renewable solutions by 2030, underscoring the introduction of NORDEL™ REN EPDM as a pivotal step. This new offering aims to support customers in achieving their sustainability objectives and contributing to a more sustainable future.

NORDEL™ REN EPDM utilizes bio residues sourced from other industries as raw materials, enabling Dow's customers in the rubber industry to provide lower-carbon products to their own markets. This approach ensures that only waste residues or by-products from alternative production processes are used, thereby avoiding additional land resource consumption or competition with food production chains.

The plant-based EPDM will be produced using an ISCC PLUS certified mass balance system. This system meticulously tracks the flow of bio-based raw materials across a complex value chain and ensures accountability through verifiable bookkeeping. Importantly, the resulting product delivers equivalent performance to virgin material without requiring requalification. This capability enables customers to swiftly adopt more sustainable alternatives, avoiding the time and carbon emissions associated with establishing and maintaining a separate production stream.

The introduction of NORDEL™ REN EPDM underscores Dow's ongoing commitment to achieving carbon neutrality. NORDEL™ EPDM production utilizes Dow's Advanced Molecular Catalyst technology, known for its high efficiency, requiring 24% less energy compared to the conventional Ziegler-Natta process. This results in a 39% lower carbon footprint for standard NORDEL™ EPDM grades, a fact validated by third-party life cycle analysis (LCA).

In addition to expanding its portfolio of innovative low-carbon solutions to assist customers in reducing Scope 3 emissions, Dow is intensifying investments in renewable energy and transformative next-generation technologies. These efforts aim to decrease Dow's own Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, achieve net zero emissions, and contribute to environmental preservation.

Explore Dow’s range of rubber technologies for sustainability showcased at DKT 2024

NORDEL™ REN takes center stage at DKT 2024 alongside a lineup of EPDM and Silicone rubber technologies that contribute to reducing the carbon footprint across various industries:

1.           SILASTIC™ Solutions for Electric Vehicles (EV), featuring High Consistency Rubbers (HCR) and Liquid Silicone Rubbers (LSR) for fire protection and connectivity. These advancements support the electrification of the automotive sector, aiming to decrease tailpipe emissions.

2.           SILASTIC™ Silicone for Self-Sealing Tires, designed to create a self-sealing layer inside tires, enabling extended driving distances without air pressure loss. This innovation facilitates easier disassembly of vehicle parts for separate silicone recycling.

3.           NORDEL™ EPDM innovation for Microdense Weatherseals, designed to reduce overall weatherseal density and tailpipe emissions through lightweighting while maintaining critical performance.

4.           Dow’s patented technology for LUXSENSE™ Silicone Synthetic Leather, the world’s first silicone-based luxury synthetic material. This innovation offers sustainability benefits with lower carbon emissions throughout its production process, which is solvent-free and animal-free. It provides exceptional haptic feedback and remarkable abrasion resistance.